14 Top Secret Aussie Hotspots: How Many Do You Know?

Australia is full of famous off-road locations that every traveller worth their salt knows, like Gibb River Road or Uluru.

But away from the spotlight, each state has some secret Aussie hotspots that manage to fly under the radar of most off-road travellers!

These are 14 of such hidden gems, written in collaboration with Hema Maps! Check them out and share YOUR hidden gems in the comments:

1) Jacksons Crossing, VIC

Jacksons Crossing is a bush camp off Varneys Track, northeast of Buchan, next to the iconic Snowy River.

A beach unexpectedly appears out of nowhere in this alpine setting, next to a campsite that’s nestled between rising alpine ranges on either side.

Offering plenty of room in picturesque natural surroundings, Jacksons Crossing combines classic High Country themes in a family-friendly environment.

Keep in mind that private property is nearby, so be sure not to stray into areas you shouldn’t!

2) Organ Pipes, Gawler Ranges National Park, SA

The Flinders may be the most famous ranges in South Australia, but the Gawler Ranges rolling Outback hills are home to something uniquely spectacular.

Called Organ Pipes (and named so for obvious reasons), these fascinating columns were pushed upwards from beneath the earth over 1500 million years ago due to volcanic activity.

This created the eerily consistent formations that make the Gawler Ranges a must-visit Outback destination.

The park is also renowned for its rich red tracks and rolling hills, which make for a sensational backdrop as you drive through this unique region.

3) Old Glen Innes Road, NSW

This charming drive through rural New South Wales takes you back in time as you roll through ghost towns slowly being absorbed by verdant hinterland.

A town called Dalmorton sprung up in the 1860s after gold fever took over the region, which supported a population of 5,000 in the surrounding area during its peak.

Remnants of this forgotten past are evidenced by old mine shafts that dot the hills along the journey, in addition to dilapidated buildings and a lonely tennis court in the middle of nowhere.

Along the drive is a tunnel – supposedly built using civilian labour in the 1880s – that bores through the side of the mountain on which the road climbs.

4) Gnylmarung Retreat, WA

Newcomers to Cape Leveque (Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia) can be forgiven for going with the masses to Kooljaman in the north.

But for a more secluded coastal camping experience, it’s hard to go past Gnylmarung Retreat.

The place is spacious and blissfully basic, with other campers only spotted occasionally as they make their way to the outdoor shower or down to the beach to watch the sunset.

If you can resist the pull of the more recognised camping areas around Cape Leveque, you’re guaranteed to find tranquillity to go with your Kimberley coastline at Gnylmarung – sans backpackers and other crowd contributors.

5) Redbank Gorge, NT

Central Australia is a hotbed of stunning natural beauty of jaw-dropping proportions, much of which is well-known to any Outback traveller worth their salt.

Amongst iconic places like Uluru and Palm Valley, Redbank Gorge quietly amazes visitors who venture to the western end of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Its unassuming appearance upon entry gives way to something much more impressive!

The camping around Redbank Gorge offers basic facilities, with everything appearing to be business as usual until you walk behind the campsite to find a view to rival any lookout.

You can then head deeper into the ranges to get to Redbank Gorge itself, or to take on Section 12 of the Larapinta Trail to experience central Australia’s most spectacular walking trail.

6) Bruny Island, TAS

Australian mainlanders may struggle to see the sense of going to an island (Tasmania) to reach yet another island (Bruny Island). But once you reach Bruny, any wondering will end.

Aside from the artisanal cheese, chocolate, seafood and wine on offer, Bruny offers a wilder side for travellers to experience.

The 100km-long island is fringed by beaches and cliffs, with multiple camping areas available in the south, including the 4WD-only Cloudy Bay Corner Beach Camping Area.

There are plenty of walks available all over the island, which are often the best way to see wildlife, such as the fairy penguins that nest near The Neck – a skinny strip of beach that links North and South Bruny Island.

7) Conondale National Park, QLD

South East Queensland’s Scenic Rim is a volcanic remnant that is home to lush rainforest and a multitude of national parks for campers, hikers and four-wheel drivers to explore.

While many travellers are drawn to the Scenic Rim’s southwest icons – Main Range and Lamington national parks – higher north is the Scenic Rim’s quiet achiever: Conondale National Park.

Close to the refreshingly quaint towns of Kenilworth and Maleny, Conondale National Park presides over an abundance of attractions and 4WD tracks in a relatively small area.

Entry to the park begins with a creek crossing, after which the track cuts into the rainforest with occasional steep gradients and excellent views from breaks in the tree line.

Within the park itself are four camping areas with access to stunning Booloumba Creek, as well as entry to the Queensland government’s Conondale Range Great Walk – a 56km hike through cloistered rainforest and open scrubland that takes four days to complete.

A short drive from the camping areas is a lookout, while also along the loop drive is a lookout and a handful of rest areas at which you can relax.

8) Jump Up Loop Road, Sturt National Park, NSW

Head north from remote Tibooburra near the north-west corner of NSW and you’ll most likely be taking the Silver City Highway to Queensland.

Or the UR 8 to Cameron Corner, the iconic Outback landmark where Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales meet.

Either way, you’ll pass through the 340,000-hectare Sturt National Park and a stunning array of arid landscapes with unusual land formations and far-reaching vistas.

But instead of sticking to the main roads, take the Jump Up Loop road north of Tibooburra through the Mt Wood Hills and Grey Range, a collection of flat-topped mesas that once formed an inland sea.

The awesome view from the lookout at the top of the range is well worth the few extra kilometres!

Stop at the nearby Olive Downs campground to explore this amazing area, or at the end of the loop turn right for the Silver City Highway, or left along Middle Road to Cameron Corner.

9) Tathra National Park via Carnamah, WA

Western Australian wildflowers are known around Australia – if not the world – as the best.

So everyone flocks to well-known wildflower hotspots north to Kalbarri, down to the south-east corner or north-east to Wildflower Way in Spring.

But some of the best wildflowers I’ve ever seen are off the beaten track in Tathra National Park between Eneabba and Carnamah, a small wheatbelt town 220 km north of Perth.

The district has regional specialities like the well-known wreath Lechenaultia and endemic Carnamah Bell.

Walk through any of Tathra National Park’s 43 km² and you’ll be admiring different wildflower varieties every few steps.

The lack of facilities other than marked tracks probably means you’ll have the park all to yourself!

10) Mount Moffatt, Carnarvon National Park, QLD

As the centrepiece of Carnarvon National Park, the spectacular Carnarvon Gorge is its most visited attraction (not to be confused with Carnarvon town, a coastal gem of Western Australia).

But the wild and remote Mount Moffatt section of the park gets way fewer visitors, even though it’s more spectacular.

That’s probably because it isn’t accessible from the Gorge section off the highway between Roma and Emerald – to get there, drive 220 km north of Mitchell or 150 km east of Injune.

Its remoteness made it the ideal hideout for the bushrangers, including the violent Kenniff brothers and notorious cattle duffer Harry Redford (sometimes known as Captain Starlight), who operated in the area.

And the local Bidjara people, who refused to be ousted from their land, left a legacy of rock imagery throughout the park.

Full of stunning sandstone rock formations and containing Queensland’s highest plateau (the Consuelo Tableland), it’s worth the long drive – even if you get a flat tyre we got the instant you drive into the park, as we did many years ago!

11) Troubridge Scenic Drive, Yorke Peninsula, SA

In a country with one of the longest coastlines in the world, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to scenic coastal drives, so it’s not always easy to find one that the world hasn’t already seen.

Its 700km+ of rugged coastline strewn with beautiful beaches, crazy-high rocky cliffs, tropical-blue water and lovely lighthouses make the leg-shaped Yorke Peninsula THE place to go for a dose of stunning coastal scenery.

And the good news is, not many people know about it!

The Troubridge Scenic Drive runs along the coast from Edithburgh to Port Moorowie. With the classic coastal beach/cliff/water/lighthouse combo, the drive is best taken slow.

That way, you won’t miss the wildlife – seals, dolphins, schools of fish, sharks, lizards and birds – and you’ll have time for swimming, fishing, and walking the beach.

Plus take in the spectacular views up and down the coast, and across Investigator Strait to Kangaroo Island!

12) Elsey National Park, NT

The famous Mataranka hot springs are a dead giveaway that you’ve reached the tropical north when you head up the Stuart Highway to Darwin.

It’s also the setting for the Australian classic “We of the Never Never”, a true colonial adventure by Jeannie Gunn, a Melbourne teacher who married the Elsey Station manager and moved up here to live.

Mataranka Homestead Resort, now a motel and campground where Jeannie Gunn’s homestead is set up as a museum, plays the movie version every day in the bar and café. This is as far as most people go before heading back to the hot springs.

But for a different perspective, take a drive just 7 km east to Elsey National Park. It was once the original Elsey station where ruins of the original stockyards and a cemetery, and the last resting place for many of the book’s characters.

13) Mt Abrupt, Grampians, VIC

Visit the stunning Grampians National Park, and chances are good that you’ll climb the Pinnacle, a slender, rocky – yes – pinnacle, with spectacular views over Lake Bellfield, the Serra Ranges and Halls Gap 400 metres below.

But for a far less crowded climb and (arguably) better view, head for Mount Abrupt, penultimate peak at the southern end of the Grampians near Dunkeld.

It’s a strenuous 6.5 km return climb, but the 360° panorama taking in the wildest part of the Serra Range, the Victoria Valley and Range and the volcanoes of the Kanawinka Geotrail in the distance are worth every step!

14) Liffey Falls via Deloraine, TAS

Cataract Gorge, the Tamar Valley, nearby World Heritage convict sites, and the caves and sinkholes of Mole Creek National Park are just some of Launceston’s main attractions.

Not to mention the sensational regional produce, which makes it easy to stay on the main tourist trails.

But while you’re following the Western Tiers trail to Mole Creek, do yourself a favour and take a half-hour detour south of Deloraine to the Liffey Falls World Heritage Area for an accessible taste of the Tasmanian Rainforest!

And if, like me, you’re an amateur photographer who’s tired of waterfalls that look like white lines in your shots, then this is the place to go!

The bottom line

We’re lucky to call Australia home. It’s an incredible country, with so many hidden gems to discover! You can make memories in places most people have never heard of.

So, now it’s your turn! Have you stumbled upon any secret spots that should be on the list? Drop your recommendations in the comments below!